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Morgan Stanley

Home security giant Protection 1 is up for sale for more than $1.5 billion, according to a Reuters news report this week.

GTCR, the private equity firm that bought Protection 1 in 2010 for $828 million has asked Morgan Stanley to help in the sales effort, the news service reported Aug. 4.

I’ve reached out to Romeoville, Illinois-based Protection 1 for comment on the report, which Reuters ascribed to unidentified sources.

Protection 1 is one of the largest full-service business and home security companies in the United States. As of the end of 2013, it had 1.5 million customers and $28 million in RMR, an increase of nearly 8 percent over the previous year, according to published reports. Revenues exceeded $429 million.

By contrast, home automation/home security company Vivint—which was acquired by The Blackstone Group in 2012 for more than $2 billion—ended 2013 with more than $42 million in RMR, an increase of 23 percent over the previous year. Provo, Utah-based Vivint, which has more than 800,000 customers, had in excess of $500 million in revenues in 2013, according to published information.

BOCA RATON, Fla.—Morgan Stanley this week upgraded shares of The ADT Corp. from an underweight to an equal weight rating in a report sent recently to investors, according to multiple reports. The firm currently has a $47.00 price target on the stock.

BOCA RATON, Fla.—A report published this week by Morgan Stanley analyst Nigel Coe downgraded the rating on The ADT Corp. from equal-weight to underweight, citing a lack of “residual upside,” according to an article from Benzinga.com, a market-watch website.